Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of retainers. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to a retention device for perpendicularly mounted cards.
Computer video graphics cards, input/output cards and other cards are sometimes mounted perpendicular to a host controller or motherboard that serves to establish electrical connections for circuitry resident on the cards. These connections are established via connectors such as accelerated graphics port (AGP) connectors that contain a slot into which the cards may be inserted.
Cards can fit into a second slot that is perpendicular to the connector and bolted to a chassis. This second slot secures one end of the card, but, if jostled or vibrated, the card may still be rotated out of the connector slot at the opposite end. Because the computer or other electronic device containing the perpendicularly mounted cards may be jostled during transport and use, the cards become susceptible to vibrating and rotating out of the connectors so that their connections may be broken. This can lead to the receipt of computers with malfunctioning video graphics or other functions due to disconnected cards.
Various devices have been designed in an effort to retain the cards in the connectors during jostling and vibrating movement. One such device is shown in Prior Art FIGS. 1a and 1b. This device is a double-arm retention device 100 that connects to AGP connector 105 at point 110 and is secured by a cross bar that may slide down on the top of the card. Device 100 is sometimes prone to becoming disconnected from the connector at point 110 and has thus been somewhat unreliable.
Another conventional device for retaining a card in an AGP connector is illustrated in FIGS. 2a and 2b. Card 200 slides into a slot in connector 220 and latching device 210 is attached to the connector 220 and rotates onto the bottom section of card 200 to capture it. Latching device 210 is sometimes prone to rotating open during transportation, allowing card 200 to rotate out of the slot and become disconnected. Thus latching device 210 is likewise somewhat unreliable.
A hold down apparatus is disclosed. The hold down apparatus has a saw-toothed device with a divided end and a united end, the divided end adapted to encompass a perpendicularly mounted card. The hold down apparatus has an anchoring hole in a supporting structure to anchor the saw-toothed device and a barbed hook coupled to the saw-toothed device and adapted to anchor the saw-toothed device to the supporting structure through the anchoring hole, wherein the barbed hook deploys from the united end of the saw-toothed device. The hold down apparatus also has a crossbar adapted to couple to the divided end of the device, wherein the crossbar binds the perpendicularly mounted card securely in place.